Are you pantang? In Malay, the word pantang means taboo or prohibition tied to custom and superstition. In Singapore, it’s commonly used to describe anything that feels like “bad luck” or is considered inauspicious.
When it comes to property, pantang takes on a whole new layer. For some, moving into a unit where a murder took place or where strange happenings were reported feels unthinkable. “I know some people don’t like to buy a unit if someone died in it because they feel that the soul will be in the house,” commented u/Cattofish on Reddit. But does such a “dark past” really sway homebuyers in Singapore?
Here are 7 of Singapore’s most high-profile cases, and the homes they occurred in. Would you have the courage to buy one of these “infamous” homes?
1. 17 Jalan Batai—The one with two skeletal remains
Image credit: The Straits Times
17 Jalan Batai, a single-storey terraced house in Sembawang Hills Estate, made headlines after 2 sets of human skeletal remains were discovered. The first set was found in 2006 by NEA officers doing a routine inspection. The second set, comprising a skull and thigh bone, was found by contractors clearing debris in a bedroom almost a decade later.
It was later revealed that the skeletal remains belonged to a pair of reclusive sisters, Pearl and Ruby Tan.
Pearl was a retired civil servant, while Ruby had a history of schizophrenia. Both had vanished from public view for years before their remains were discovered. Due to the time it took from death to the discovery of their remains, the coroner could not say for certain what the cause of death was and declared it an open verdict.
With no will or known beneficiaries, the High Court declared them legally dead in 2015, and their estate, including the house, was subsequently turned over to the state.
In February 2018, an auction conducted by Knight Frank on behalf of the Public Trustee’s Office saw the house sold for $2.23M to Goh Tee Kia, chairman of GC Group of Companies. The bidding escalated from $1.7M to $2.23M in just 12 minutes.
Today, the house has been nothing but a shell of its former self, with no signs of redevelopment or rental. We can only wonder why it has been left like this for so long.
2. Block 12, Toa Payoh, Lorong 7—The infamous Adrian Lim cult murders flat
Image credits: The Straits Times
Block 12, Lorong 7, Toa Payoh, was the chilling site of the notorious Adrian Lim ritual murders in 1981. Lim, a self-styled spirit medium, committed a series of ritualistic killings inside his flat (unit 467F) that shocked the entire nation.
Among his victims were 2 young children: 9-year-old Agnes Ng and 10-year-old Ghazali bin Marzuki. Bloodstains, occult paraphernalia, and cryptic clues were discovered by police leading to the flat, marking it as one of Singapore’s darkest crime scenes.
The flat remained vacant for years after, until a catholic family bought the unit afterwards, and lived in it without any fear or hesitation. A reddit user, u/Mercorp6445, even commented that the family “even struck lottery”, but that information has yet to be verified.
The unit went on to change hands again in 2005, and currently seems to be occupied, proving that not all homeowners are easily spooked by a grim past.
At present, 3-room units in Block 12, Toa Payoh have seen resale values range from $220,000 to $385,000 over the last 3 years, with an average of about $365,000. PropertyGuru listings also show individual transactions from $330,000 up to $385,000, depending on the floor and unit condition.
3. Geylang Bahru family murders—Another HDB flat marked by tragedy
Image credits: NewspaperSG
In the early morning of 6th January 1979, 4 young siblings, aged between 5 and 10, were brutally murdered in their HDB flat at Block 58, Geylang Bahru. Their bodies were discovered stacked in the bathroom, each with at least 20 slash wounds.
The case remains unsolved, with investigators suspecting that the murderer was someone known to the family. This suspicion is fueled by a chilling Chinese New Year card sent to the parents, depicting happy children playing together. The card was signed “the murderer” using the parents’ nicknames, with the message: “Now you can have no more offspring, ha-ha-ha.”
The original Block 58, where the tragedy occurred, has since been demolished and replaced with a new building completed in 1998, with leases beginning around 2000.
Looking at resale prices in the area, 4-room flats in the same block have closed between $503,000 and $860,000 in the past 3 years, averaging $820,000. While the nearby Block 55 sees 5-room units averaging around $800,000 on PropertyGuru.
4. Block 349, Yishun, Avenue 11—The site of the triple murders
Image credit: Singapore Police Force on Facebook
In September 2008, a rented flat at Block 349, Yishun Avenue 11, became the scene of a horrific crime. Wang Zhijian, a 42-year-old man, fatally stabbed his girlfriend, her daughter, and their flatmate following a heated argument about money to buy crabs. The flatmate’s daughter, “Grace,” was also stabbed but survived the ordeal. The shocking triple murder left the community in disbelief, and Wang was later sentenced to death.
At the time, the flat was rented, and there is no public information on who occupied it afterward. While the exact flat has not been sold, resale prices for nearby 4-room HDB flats in Yishun today range from around S$423,000 to S$625,000, depending on floor level and unit condition.
5. Block 52, Chin Swee Road—Toddler’s body found in a pot
Image credit: Today Online
In 2019, a little girl’s remains were found in a 4-room flat at Block 52, Chin Swee Road. The girl, Umaisyah, had been killed 5 years earlier, and her parents had kept her death hidden while going about life as if nothing had happened.
The case only came to light when neighbours, alarmed by a foul stench, alerted the police. Investigations revealed that Umaisyah’s intellectually disabled uncle had mistaken the charred corpse for food and attempted to cook it. Both parents were later convicted of murder: her father received 21½ years’ jail and caning, while her mother was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment. The case horrified the nation and remains one of the darkest domestic tragedies in recent memory.
Given the nature of the tragedy, most might assume it’s either vacant or rented out by now. As for resale, there is no official data on this specific unit. However, looking at nearby 3-room HDB flats in the area, prices today range from around $463,000 to $611,000, depending on the floor level and condition.
6. Block 7A Commonwealth Avenue—The double death tragedy
Image Credits: 8Prop
On 27th October 2019, a flat in Commonwealth became the scene of a heartbreaking tragedy. Gabriel Lien Goh, 22, fatally stabbed his mother, 56-year-old Lee Soh Mui, and later his 90-year-old grandmother, See Keng Keng. The violence followed a tense argument. Goh had taken 2 LSD tabs that day, which resulted in severe hallucinations.
The domestic helper, alarmed by the commotion, fled the flat and alerted the neighbors, who called the police. Goh was incoherent and violent, and attacked multiple people before being restrained by bystanders.
In September 2022, the High Court found him of unsound mind, acquitting him of culpable homicide. He was detained indefinitely under the President’s Pleasure, meaning he remains confined for his own safety and the public’s, with periodic reviews to assess his mental state.
As for the flat itself, no official transaction record has surfaced, and it’s still under the ownership of the victims’ family. Nearby 3-room HDB flats in the area have seen varying resale prices. For instance, 4-room units in nearby blocks have been listed at prices ranging from $725,000 to $1,200,000.
7. Undisclosed Woodlands block—Site of a double murder
Image credits: The Republican Post
A devastating incident occurred in a flat in Woodlands in January 2017. Teo Ghim Heng, a 41-year-old former property agent, fatally strangled his 39-year-old wife, Choong Pei Shan, and their 4-year-old daughter, Teo Zi Ning, following a heated argument over financial difficulties. Choong was six months pregnant at the time, and her unborn son also died as a result of the attack.
After the murders, Teo attempted suicide multiple times before setting fire to the bodies in an attempt to destroy evidence. 8 days later, on the first day of Chinese New Year, Choong’s brother grew suspicious of her absence and forced his way into the flat, where the charred remains were discovered. Teo was later convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
While there is no public information on the exact location of the flat, we can provide an overview of typical resale prices for HDB flats in the Woodlands area for context. Nearby 3-room flats have been listed around $480,000, 4-room flats range from $465,000 to $680,000, and 5-room flats have typically been listed between $598,000 and $685,000.
HDB flats & private homes with unsettling dark pasts in Singapore
For some, buying a home isn’t just about square footage and appreciation potential; it’s about what those walls have witnessed and the vibes they give you. Some might brush off the past, while others can’t help but feel its presence.
Whether you’re swayed by a home’s history or not, it’s the peace of mind that truly makes a place feel like home…something you’ll want to consider, long after you’ve moved in.
Read our other spooky articles here:
- Exploring the haunted Spooner Road HDBs & “Suicide Flats” in Taman Jurong
- Living in a haunted rental flat as a uni student
- 7 ghost stories from Singaporean redditors
Cover image adapted from: The Straits Times
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